Europe rejects Trump’s Iran demands

Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.4 • 204 Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

European affairs ministers meet in Brussels to prepare this week’s EU summit — with discussions ranging from Ukraine and the war in Iran to the bloc’s next long-term budget and competitiveness. But there is also motion on enlargement. Ukraine and Moldova are receiving the remaining negotiating clusters in their EU accession talks, while Montenegro is set to provisionally close another chapter. Meanwhile the war with Iran is already testing transatlantic unity. After Donald Trump urged allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, EU foreign ministers made clear they have no intention of sending warships there, with several capitals warning they won’t be dragged into the war. And in the world of sport and geopolitics, EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef is pressing FIFA President Gianni Infantino for clearer assurances that European fans travelling to the 2026 World Cup will be safe — as tensions rise following the U.S.-Israeli war in the Middle East. Host Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by POLITICO’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, Nick Vinocur. Send any questions or comments to us on our WhatsApp: +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Now, are all the traitors present? Let's get started, shall we?
0:04.5	From rags to riches. I'm so sick of this. Working like a dog and being treated worse.
0:09.1	Yorkshire to New York. Poor climbers, you and me.
0:12.4	A life dedicated to revenge. Let's make this an occasion to remember.
0:16.9	A woman of substance on Channel 4. Stream now.
0:19.8	Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 17, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast.
0:31.3	The vibe in Brussels today is, well, it's a little bit of the calm before the storm
0:36.2	ahead of the European Council Summit this Thursday. European Affairs Ministers are meeting in town and they've got
0:43.7	some work to do. Also on the pod, the EU responds to Donald Trump's calls for help securing
0:49.5	the straight of Hormuz. Spoiler alert, it ain't going to happen. And the EU is also pressing FIFA over World
0:56.4	Cup safety. All right, I'm Zora Shafhtalovic. With me today is our chief foreign affairs
1:01.8	correspondent, Nick Venicoor. Hey, Nick. Hey, Zoya. What's up? Your blood pressure?
1:08.4	A whole lot of work.
1:13.5	Let's start with what's happening in Brussels today.
1:17.4	European Affairs ministers are in town for a general affairs council.
1:19.5	That's just a fancy way of saying meeting.
1:21.4	And what's on their agenda?
1:26.4	So first thing will be to prepare the gathering of EU leaders, which is happening on Thursday.
1:28.2	The ministers will go through draft conclusions. We've had our hands on a few drafts already. There's Russia's war against
1:33.2	Ukraine, competitiveness, the next EU budget, and the latest developments in the Middle East.
1:38.3	Of course, Iran, the war there is going to overshadow this summit. Just like Trump's threats
1:43.3	against Greenland overshadowed the last one, there's a bit of a theme there, isn't there? Yeah, there is. And this is something that when you talk to diplomats around town, it's a key theme in conversations. What they tell me is, well, we had some plans for what we were going to do today. And then we woke up and we saw a truth social post from Donald Trump
	...

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